U.S. agents arrest 13 from Mexico and Vietnam trying to enter U.S. from New Brunswick
Global News
Border Patrol says suspects from Mexico were arrested on Jan. 19 after agents were alerted to a potential illegal entry and later spotted footprints west of Grand Falls, N.B.
Border Patrol agents in Maine recently arrested 13 foreign nationals — seven adults from Mexico and six from Vietnam — for illegally entering the United States from two locations in western New Brunswick, U.S. officials say.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency issued a statement Thursday saying human smuggling along the Maine-New Brunswick border may not be as big a problem as elsewhere along the U.S. border, but this “transnational criminal activity” is cause for concern.
The agency says cold temperatures at this time of year can quickly lead to life-threatening conditions.
Border Patrol officials say the suspects from Mexico were arrested on Jan. 19 after agents were alerted to a potential illegal entry and later spotted footprints near Caswell, Maine, which is west of Grand Falls in northwestern New Brunswick.
“Through investigative steps, agents confirmed that an illegal entry from Canada had been made,” the agency said in a statement. “Subsequently, agents were able to follow the footprints and apprehend the group, consisting of seven adult males from Mexico.”
One of the accused was showing signs of frostbite and was taken to the local hospital.
Two of the accused had previously been removed from the United States after an illegal entry, the agency said.
On Jan. 20, Border Patrol agents based in Calais, Maine, pulled over a suspicious vehicle in Lambert Lake, Maine, which is west of the border crossing at St. Croix in southwestern New Brunswick.